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The First Step of Revelation? Believe He Will Speak to You
The author lives in Amecameca, Mexico.
Heavenly Father will never leave us alone on this journey.
By Jenna McKell Thompson
In the time I’ve spent serving as a temple worker, I’ve noticed that many temple patrons need assurance that they’re on the right track. When people enter the temple for the first time or get confused in the hallways, they often look for a worker. The worker points the way, and the patron gratefully moves forward.
As members of the Church moving through life, it isn’t so different. We regularly seek that spiritual nod of approval that we’re moving in the right direction through prayer and personal revelation.
Today we know that “the heavens are open” to all those who turn to God. But I often ask myself, “Why is it so difficult to receive revelation in my life if it is just a prayer away?” Sometimes it can feel like our prayers aren’t getting through to Heavenly Father.
What do we do when we need reassurance that we are on the right path but feel the heavens are silent?
Trust Heavenly Father
As I have had many experiences with prayer and asking Heavenly Father for guidance, I’ve realized that the basis of prayer is putting my trust in Him to guide or answer me. When we don’t have trust, or when we don’t believe an answer will come in the first place, we can limit our faith in Him and forget His desire to speak to us.
This happened to me when I was serving my mission. For a while, I felt that my prayers were going unnoticed by Him. But with time I searched the scriptures and came across different verses like Doctrine and Covenants 88:63–64:
“Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
“Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you.”
I meditated on those words, studied prophetic counsel, and prayed several times a day. As I tried to trust that He could guide me and provide me with answers, I felt my faith in Him growing, and I started noticing more promptings from the Spirit each day.
Increase Your Capacity
Revelation can be incredibly impactful or distinct, but often the Lord speaks through feelings and can be heard as “a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper” that pierces “to the very soul” (see Helaman 5:30). In Doctrine and Covenants 8:2–3 the Lord reminds us:
“Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.
“Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation.”
After trusting that He will answer us, we must put in the effort to hear Him. We can take time to create a space where we can be quiet and listen to the Spirit. Our leaders are inviting us to spend more time in the temple, as much as our circumstances allow. They have testified that as we try to stand in holy places with holy people, we can increase our capacity for revelation.
In addition, something else that I’ve been trying to do is go to the Lord with a solution in mind. Instead of asking questions like, “Why me?,” “Where should I go?,” or “How do I solve this problem?,” I can come to Him with a decision in mind and ask Him if I should move forward. In this way, I seek His guidance in my decision, but I am not asking the Lord to resolve things for me without trying first to resolve it myself (see Doctrine and Covenants 9:7–8).
Our efforts to draw near to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will always help us increase our spiritual capacity.
Believe That Revelation Will Come
As we prepare to receive personal revelation through spiritual practices and have faith in our ability to receive answers to our prayers, we will feel that the Holy Ghost is at work in our lives and that the heavens are open to us.
You may not immediately feel like you’re receiving that spiritual direction as soon as you ask for it, but you can rest assured that the direction will come. Just like in the temple, if you’re doing your best to follow Jesus Christ, you can trust that He and Heavenly Father are guiding you forward. That guidance might not seem immediately obvious, but if you’re standing in holy places, you don’t need to worry that you’re going the wrong way.
I know that Heavenly Father will never leave us alone on this journey. As President Russell M. Nelson testified, God wants to speak with us, and if we seek Him, we will hear Him.